1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image forming device which starts program components contained in a sales package, when the sales package is activated.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an information processing device which executes programs to perform various functions, the number of the functions of the information processing device can be increased or decreased according to the increase or decrease of the number of programs installed therein. Even after the information processing device is purchased, a user can use an additional desired function on the information processing device if a program which provides the desired function is purchased and installed in the information processing device.
As for some programs, activation of the programs in an information processing device must be performed at a time of installation of the programs, or after the time of the installation, in order to enable the functions provided by the programs to be effectively used on the information processing device. This activation is to perform an operation that licenses the user to use the program on the information processing device, or to generate license information that certifies the license and store the license information in a predetermined server or information processing device. Refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 07-110767.
By the activation method disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 07-110767, a program ID which identifies a program is contained in the license information and stored in the predetermined server or information processing device. If an unauthorized person attempts to install the program with the program ID in a secondary information processing device, the predetermined server or information processing device detects the program ID contained in the license information and inhibits the unauthorized person from activating the program in the secondary information processing device. Hence, the unauthorized person cannot use the function, provided by the program, on the secondary information processing device.
Therefore, if the activation method of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 07-110767 is applied, activation of respective programs in a secondary information processing device is inhibited by the predetermined server or information processing device. Even if all the respective programs are installed beforehand in the original information processing device, it is possible to prevent each of the programs from being illegally used, regardless of whether the programs are actually purchased.
Moreover, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-279935 discloses an information processing device wherein license information of a user is stored in a removable recording medium, and when the removable recording medium is inserted in the information processing device, the user is permitted to use the information processing device. In this information processing device, the authentication information of a recording medium is further stored in the information processing device.
By the information processing device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-279935, it is possible to prevent an unauthorized person from copying the license information or using the information processing device.
When activation of the programs installed beforehand is performed, the operation of performing activation of each of the respective programs one by one in accordance with the demanded function is troublesome.
For example, there is a method of sales in which a package containing a plurality of programs is purchased. There is a set of application programs which can be effectively used as a result of association of some of functions provided by a plurality of programs of a sales package.
In this case, the user has to perform activation of corresponding programs from among the plurality of programs of the sales package individually, and in many cases, selection of the programs to be activated from among the plurality of programs by the user becomes a difficult task.